Sea fan watercolours

I've been planning on doing some watercolours of sea fans for some time now, and yesterday I managed to finish two. I've always loved artwork featuring pressed seaweed specimens and coral, and with these paintings I've tried to capture the look and feel of vintage botanicals, collected and framed.

I'm thinking I might add these to my new range of artwork, and here's a preview of some other colour options I'm considering...

So, what do you think? How about the colours - maybe you have some other suggestions? I'd love to know your thoughts. You guys are always so helpful, so any comments would be gratefully received!

Now that I've started these, I have lots of other ideas - just not enough hours in the day. I'm sure I'm not alone there!

A touch of France

I'll be out and about in Brisbane today, and one of the stops on my list is this beautiful parfumerie in West End. Libertine is worth the visit for the decor alone, with the look and feel of a Parisian fragrance store. It's a feast for the senses, the staff are warm and welcoming, and you're encouraged to try any of the designer scents they have there.

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If you can't visit in person, you can visit their website, or their facebook page. Oh, and my favourite scent?

juliettehasagun.com

It's my favourite. Ever. Not quite sure what that says about me though!

Bedroom Makeover Mark II

Now that I've almost finished daughter #2's bedroom makeover (I did say almost), it's now time to concentrate on #1's room. It's long overdue for a total redo, and we've been working on a design scheme based on her favourite colour - blue. We've bought some gorgeous new bed linen:

 

...some ginger jar lamps..

..a new slipcovered bed head..

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..and, of course, no room is complete without art and photos

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..couldn't resist an excuse to use one of my favourite pics

So that's what we'll be doing these school holidays (in between visits to the beach, of course). How about you?

Noosa - homewares heaven

With the crew here at home all madly in love with the beach, and my daughter's love affair with Noosa Heads in particular, it gives me plenty of time to indulge in a bit of retail therapy of the homewares kind. The Noosa area is home to many of my favourite haunts, and I thought I'd share a few of them with you over the coming months. One of my must-visit stops on the Noosa circuit is The White House. As the name suggests, it's full of beautiful, white homewares, and with its relaxed, coastal vibe, it's a one-stop shop for all things beachy.

So, if you're in Noosa, go check them out - you won't be disappointed. Or visit their website here.

Well, I'm off to put in some long-overdue studio time. Plenty of new paintings are in the pipeline, and I'll post the pics as soon as they're done. What do you have planned for the week ahead?

Beach house dreaming

After spending a great day at the beach on Wednesday, we came home filled with thoughts of a move to the coast. Of course, the crew would love it, but after growing up on acreage, I think a move to suburbia, beach or no beach, would be quite a shock to the system. But I just may have found the perfect compromise - a house in beautiful Noosa, on half an acre, complete with everything a family with teenagers could want. Space, pool, location, and best of all (as far as I'm concerned) - a whitewashed home full of character.

with a bit of zhusing, this could be stunning

 ...complete with art/design studio

...oh look, here I am on the beach

Not bad, hey? I think I could handle it!

Oh, and thanks everyone for the birthday wishes - my daughter is chuffed you all took the time to comment. She's taken to surfing like the proverbial duck to water, and can't wait to head back again. Looks like we'll be spending quite a bit of time at the beach these school holidays!

Have a great weekend everyone,



images courtest realestate.com.au and caribbeannoosa.com.au

Birthday at the beach

I'll be spending the day here...

...to celebrate my youngest daughter's birthday today. Fifteen years....where did it go?

She'll be the one giving her new surfboard a workout!

Have a great day everyone,

Just because....

I've never really understood Tumblr. But I do know it's full to the brim with beautiful images, so every once in a while I pop in to see what I can find - usually while I'm putting off something more pressing, like doing my bookwork. Take a look at these pretties I found over at Suziebeezie. Just because they're beautiful.